Letter also surfaces linking resignation to Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance.
Canada’s already beleagured Armed Forces, bereft of equipment and facing severe morale and staffing problems, has yet another headache to deal with.
Lt. General Paul Wynnyk, the second in command in the Canadian Armed Forces, has resigned.
In a letter that was released widely throughout the Forces – which is not usually how resignation letters are released – Wynnyk claims that CHief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance had brought Wynnyk on board, then told him that “my continued service was no longer in the best interests of the CAF,” and asked him to make way for the return of Vice Admiral Norman.
Then, when Norman decided to retire, Vance apparently asked Wynnyk to stay. But clearly, Wynnyk was not pleased with how everything went down, and has decided to retire instead.
The letter, first obtained by Global News, can be read below:
Here is the letter from the VCDS if you wish to read it #cdnpoli #CAF #MarkNorman pic.twitter.com/md4wf6ylIY
— Mercedes Stephenson (@MercedesGlobal) July 10, 2019
As noted by reporter Mercedes Stephenson, Vance has now gone through 5 Vice-Chief of Defence Staffs:
“One remarkable thing here: this is the first verification we’ve had independent of Vance’s word that he actually was serious about putting Mark Norman back into his original job as VCDS.”
This is the 5th VCDS now under Vance. This is unprecedented. The letter was also sent to a large number of general officers which is not Wynnyk's normal style. He wanted this letter to see the light of day with that wide distribution. #cdnpoli #CAF
— Mercedes Stephenson (@MercedesGlobal) July 10, 2019
In statement issued by the CAF following the news reports of Wynnyk’s departure, there was a clear attempt at damage control:
“I would like to thank the chief of the defence staff, Gen. Jon Vance, for the confidence he showed in me when he appointed me as the vice-chief and for his leadership of the (military) during what have been challenging times recently,” says a quote the CAF attributes to Wynnyk in the release.
Yet, that damage control doesn’t distract from the fact that the CAF leadership now appears to be uncoordinated and somewhat chaotic.
And all of this is happening as the CAF remains totally underfunded and faces recruiting challenges, including a growing perception that the CAF is being influenced by far-left political correctness and with many Canadians seeing how poorly Veterans are treated following their service.
The departure of Wynnyk, and the way in which it is happening, will only add to the growing image of dysfunction that now plagues the CAF leadership.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
